10.20.09

Manholes became blowholes, rats floated, off-ramps turned into canals and water cascaded down the Van Ness Muni stairs like some kind of Olafur Eliasson installation. For a moment there, San Francisco considered commuting via Ark.

The sky seems to be clearing up now — but it’s more than just the weather. Card-carrying medical marijuana users are now cleared to bring up to eight ounces with them on flights from Oakland and San Francisco International airports (via the SF Appeal). Activists are considering what other changes will come with Obama’s plan to stop busting people for medical marijuana in states where it’s legal, the implications of which are not totally clear.

There’s still no smoking allowed at the airport, however, so make sure you’ve got the new McSweeney’s iPhone app the next time you fly. The Nieman Journalism Lab gave it props yesterday for being one of the few print-centric publications to take full advantage of the platform. It’s $5.99 for the app and a 180-day subscription, which gives you access to content you can’t get on the web.

Attention burners: if your art car is really just a souped-up Honda Civic, now’s your chance for a serious upgrade. An extra-long Muni bus is being auctioned on EBay, @Munialerts noticed. The current bid is at $2,300, which frankly seems like a steal. You’ve got five days!

Between Burning Man, Bay to Breakers and the gazillion other excuses San Franciscans have for playing dress up, it’s a wonder that we have any ideas left for Halloween. Do you know what you’re wearing yet? No matter how desperate you get, we suggest avoiding the following: this illegal alien costume from Target (via Hispanic Trending) and this completely offensive mask that — not so surprisingly — has been for sale on 24th Street at South Van Ness Avenue for quite some time.

More important than your costume, however, is what you’re planning for your pet. The Chronicle offers some crucial pet costume safety tips for Halloween (make sure they can breathe, lay off the chocolate), as well as a hilarious pet costume photo gallery. My favorites are definitely the dogs in the armadillo and dragonfly outfits. But cats in costumes? Someone call PETA please, because that is just plain cruel.

Just up on our police blotter: an 18-year-old man pleaded not guilty to robbery and assault charges yesterday for the brutal beating of young actor Christopher Borgzinner on the 9-San Bruno Muni bus on Oct. 5.

Finally, Mission Loc@l reporters Brooke Minters and Rosa Ramirez were on the other side of the mic for once as guests on last night’s Pirate Cat Radio broadcast. We’ll post a link to the show as soon as it’s available.

Tree of Life is a group exhibition that celebrates the rich cultural diversity and assorted art styles found at Creativity Explored. The title of the show references the universal image of the “Tree of Life,” which manifests in folklore, mythology, and world religions. The “Tree of Life” is globally known by many different names, for example, The Cosmic Tree, The Holy Tree, Ydryssil, the Bhodi Tree, and The Tree of...